I wish I could winter snow my seeds. Then I wouldn't have to worry about all this white stuff still on the ground. LOL
Yourr Neck of the Woods 2015 Part1
I had to drive home from my DD's in the fat, fluffy snow flakes--from I95.
She lives in the City--and their portion of I-95 was a drive from hell.
Everyone freaking out--me too--driving 25mph. Can't see the lines on the road..
snowing like crazy! Snow all laid and thick on the road!
Someone did not anticipate this too well....Dundalk Ave (from my DD's) to Eastern Ave,
and then unto #95 was as slick as ice. Creepy crawly for a few miles.
Then--the road started showing some pavement--and, eventually, it seemed semi-clear.
That is--until I got to my exit off of I-95. NO cleaned roads there!
Slowly--slowly--all the way to my house and then a blind aim to back into my driveway.
So much for a fun day shopping and waiting for 2 pizzas to be delivered...
I think he was slipping and sliding too---but--they were good!
Glad I got home in one piece....Now--up at 5:30 tomorrow to be at work at 8AM.
Oh, yeah? If this nice, fluffy, sticky snow keeps coming down--I will get to work
when I get to work!--after digging my car out.
Great snow for building a snowman....THAT kind of a snow....
Get out all you kiddies and do that!
G.
We came home from the movies shortly after that. Nursery Rd, Parkway and 97 had issues in many places. Snow kept blowing onto the rd. The winds roaring in the pine trees sounds eirc.
Ric, you can toss seeds on top of the snow as long as you know what lies beneath....
Sally, I just found your article on winter sowing - great article and a very catchy title! http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/4036/
thanks- p;us my daughter was the 'mitten model' for the picture
Did she help sow too?
Watch out! 12-18" predicted for most of KY starting overnight tonight, and running through Tuesday. Maybe WS Octavia will leave most precipitation here, and spare the Mid-At for a change.
Here are some happy thoughts from 'Westerstede', 'Diane', 'Primavera', 'Aphrodite', and 'Moonlight' to tide us over the next barrage...
All really striking photos, VV -- thanks for sharing them! Is there a cultivar of witch hazel that's especially known for sweet scent? I used to think all witch hazel was fragrant, but I have a nice healty one right by the back deck that doesn't give me the least whiff from its blooms. I don't know if different cultivars vary in scent or if it may also be variable from plant to plant -- in which case I should shop with my nose when they are in bloom.
Wow VV, are they all blooming right now?
I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to smell witch hazel flowers!
Yes, all those plants are blooming here at the Valley now - as well as several more not quite big enough to donate branches for an indoor vase.
There are many with a strikingly sweet and spicy scent - but you've hit it "on the nose". You need to smell for yourself, and then select. I would think that there are more than a couple places around the metroplex where you can go visit plants like this in a collection, and see which you prefer.
I also think that it helps to have a sunny and halfway warm day for the pleasing volatiles to release for your enjoyment. Cold brittle and overcast don't allow Witch-hazel to shine. Have you tried cutting a floriferous branch to bring indoors? That would be the ultimate test. No smell then would pretty much mean no smell ever. I put fresh cuts branches in warm water to encourage some imbibition, which will extend bloom time indoors as well as push unopened buds to unfurl.
'Diane' (the red one) is a selection that I've never teased any fragrance from. All the Hamamelis mollis selections generally have superior scents. If I had to pick one from the heap, 'Wisley Supreme' would be very difficult to beat.
Of course, the native species Hamamelis virginiana and Hamamelis vernalis are excellent performers too. Vernal Witch-hazel is exceptionally fragrant in late winter/early spring blooming. It has the drawback of marcescent foliage, which some object to. It can be effectively used as a fragrant winter screening plant.
As usual great pics VV. I think Key West would be more to my liking right about now.LOL
Wow, must be nice to have your Hamamelis starting out already. Mine haven't uttered a peep yet. Too brutal cold here right now.
Critter, I don't know about too many other Hamamelis but our Arnold's Promise smells fantastic. You can smell it all over the yard. We have another AP as well but I can' remember if that one smelled as good. Also, our 'Fire Charm' doesn't smell that remarkable, nor does it look that remarkable either. It never blooms real heavy like the AP's.
Lovely!
yeah between this morning and this afternoon, our snow prediction went up- Monday night to Tuesday am now sounds arctic.
Eek, now says 5-8 inches. It is creeping up!
This message was edited Feb 15, 2015 9:15 PM
Phew--I do not work again until Wednesday. Can clean things up as time permits.
The cold is so bad! I feel it almost everywhere along my walls and windows and doors.
The unheated Shop level sure sends a lot of cold up along the walls.
My kitchen floor is just above the ceiling of the unfinished, unheated Shop ceiling.
Ice cold!
Also--if I open the lower kitchen corner cabinet and get a blast of cold air. HUH?
I really hope the rooms I will get the new windows replaced in will help--as well as the
Front Door and the basement door. I can see daylight through the bottom of the sill.
My exhaust fan above my stove vents directly out the wall of the house. DAH!
--Need that replaced soon as well- but that will have to wait until something is
done with the kitchen.
Attic insulation needs repairing/replacing too. It is shot and in shreds in some places.
Like around the air-vents on either side of the attic roof.
I can deal with it temperature wise--but I know it is costing me a lot of money.
OH, the joy of older homes and no handyman around...
G.
Yeah it was -1 at our house this morning. Last year, the coldest it got was -4. Pretty darned close. I just checked the almanac and we've had 6 days above 40 in 2015 so far. Same time last year we had 11 so far although I don't think we've had as many days below 20 for a high. Six below 20 degrees last year this time compared to 5 this year. Geez, I guess this year is just as bad. Hopefully it doesn't harm any of the precious plants!!
In a way I'd like some snow cover for them. This wind has been awful.
I'm hoping the snow cover we have keeps the damage to a minimum. Things like our nandina hedge froze to the ground last year, but everyone of them recovered. I just had about 20 doves land around the feeder.
I am hoping that all the buds on my camellia do not freeze off like last
winter. It had almost NO blooms at all. A few.
We lost a lot of plants last winter, didn't we? Hydrangeas. Rosemary, all the figs, etc.
With this cold--I am afraid it will happen again.
5:30PM here. No snow yet....not wishing for any either...
Cold! G..
Last year was the first for several that we had good buds on our lilacs, then they froze. Bummer!
Is anyone else watching the Stevie Wonder special, it's so good.
Well, it should be cold enough to ensure good bloom on peonies, and those white lilacs that I've thought weren't getting cold enough to bloom.
No, no cable- we watched Saving Mr Banks
We got about 1 1/2" of snow but it was really light and fluffy. I blew off Darcy's car with the leaf blower this morning. It worked so nicely. I'll blow off the deck and a path out back when I get home tonight.
fantastic!
Looks like 4-5 inches here at most? Very fine tiny granules.
We got 5-7 inches depending on where I measured. It sure looked like more than that when I was shoveling this morning!
The Snow Wolf "Wovel" is pretty good for this lightweight powdery stuff, but I'm not sure I want to extricate it from the tight spot where it's wedged in. I'd have to move a lot of stuff out of the way first.
Lol...I think it would be funny to see someone using one of those things.
We got back last night from a long weekend with my family in Pittsburgh... Looking at the forecast, I grabbed a couple of potted figs that were tucked in against the foundation and put them inside. Good call. Wish I'd been able to grab all things in pots and put them in the garage, but most were stuck tight to the ground. Will have to cross my fingers and see what survives...
I'm not sure there was much difference in survival last year between things that were newly planted and those that spent the winter in pots. I do have potted things tightly grouped on the side patio or the gravel pad, and that helps. Snow cover will definitely help this week, also! I think I'll plow the driveway snow up toward the side patio... (with a plow-shaped shovel, not an actual plow... I can do some shoveling if I don't do much lifting)
We got 3"s at the most. It was so powdery most places I just used the leaf blower. The parking area and side drive I'm plowing.
About 4" here.
We ended up with a beautiful 10.1" here at the Valley.
Blaring, beautiful, bright sunshine here since late morning.
Would be a great gardening day....
I am gardening inside today. Been meaning to do these two things--
and now they will be done! WHEW!!!
Just finished mixing up all new soil , removing each potted Amaryllis (7) from
their old pots, removing most of the old,caked, dry soil and then settling
them all back into their pots in nice fresh soil mix. Had to trim some of the roots...:o(
Sprinkled some lime and some Systemic Granules on top, mixed it in lightly
and just watered all the pots. First water they have had since I brought them in.
I think I will have to find a place for them now in my LR as a few of them are
starting to show green. One pot even had the bloom tips peeking out.
This took ~ 2hrs.
Taking a break......on DG, of course...having a cold beer....
Next I will tackle the Fig cuttings--which, I am afraid, will be very root-bound,
as they have stopped growing the leaves. They are VERY status quo.....
I have 17 cuttings jammed into 2 separate, small, oval planters.
Gonna plant them in the tall, 3" - 31/2" PW pots. I hope I have the trays
that hold these in my stash in the shed. Their bottoms are narrow, so they may tip over.
Watered all my plants inside yesterday....That took an hour....
Some days I just go like the "Energizer Bunny"--others..I veg.
My nice back yard neighbor went around here with his snow-blower
and cleaned off everyone's sidewalks. I'm special--so he even went around
my car on my driveway and did that, as well as the walkway to my front door.
He does this every year--as he knows we all here are a bunch of oldies...
I would like you all to start thinking IF you would like to have a "Desert King" Fig.
I will have plenty to share. Here is one of the containers.....
G.
V V---
We cross-posted....
Your pictures are absolutely idyllic! Gorgeous! Peaceful!
Ever think of making your own Christmas cards?
Gita
Gorgeous photos VV
Who can deny the beauty of pure white snow? Do you have a guess on those tracks? can't judge the size.
I love the sound too- the near total silence here as it falls and there are no far off plane or highway noises, the squeak of this very cold fine snow underfoot.
Sadly GIta, given the recent winters, I'm not thinking another fig is worth while.
I was wondering about the tracks too. Beautiful snow scenes, VV!
So I have been with my parents since Sat morning. Decided that Dad needed to go to the hospital, he was breathing pretty heavily. We were there Sat till 10:00PM then a sleep over at Mom's and back at the Hosp by 6:30 the next morning and stayed till 9:00PM, then after I dropped Mom off I made a dash home just so I could crawl into my own bed with Ric, then out of the house around 6:00AM and back to the Hospital another all day stay and sleep over with Mom. Dad was released this morning and I got them all settled in and finally I am back home.
Dad has a weak heart and a very leaky Mitral Valve, but for now all is good.
I wanted to show you all my very lovely pink Valentine Tulips, I didn't get to really enjoy them before I left on Sat morning but was very pleased to see them still beautiful and breathing a bit of Spring into the living room.
This pic was taken Sat morning before I bolted out the door.
Oh my holly. So glad you are all back at home.
Hugs, honey!!! Glad you're all home!
Very pretty, VV! I do love the silence of snow. Then sometimes there's the crunch of walking in it. I just need to be able to open my ears and just listen.
Beautiful winter scenes VV.
Holly, I am glad everyone is back home and your dad is doing ok.
V V--
Is that all your property in the photos? G.
I'm glad your Dad is doing better, Holly. Beautiful Valentine's Day tulips!
Thank you for the kind words. I've never made greeting cards. Are lessons being offered?
Answering the question about the previous post:
The first image is the view from the back deck.
The second is a view on the deck.
Third is my neighbor's driveway, who obviously hadn't ventured out yet.
Fourth is the gravel lane to my house.
Fifth is the county road to my house.
I feel like that's all my property, having driven through it to/from work for the past 25+ years. Many of those images were taken through the windshield of the (aptly named) Tundra as I drove Mrs. VV to work this morning. The bird footprints likely belong to the "bicycle helmet" sparrows that hang around the front porch, or cardinals that were cavorting there too. There have been robins and mockingbirds about, but they are generally eating viburnum and holly fruit.
I'd enjoy giving one of those figs a try - as well as your stuffed cabbage! Maybe there's a hand-off possible through fellow Mid-Ats when I next darken doors in the Potomac/Bay area.
Holly: glad to hear your Dad is improved. Take your well-earned rest.
OK - some more from today's forays out in the late winter wonderland. Making merry on Mardi Gras, since tomorrow discipline sets in - as well as several nights of double digit subzero temps.
In this set, first image is my yard.
2nd image is my barn - and a few of my finer stock.
3rd is the pond, flock not ready to yet take wing.
Look to the next image for shadowing.
Lastly, a neighborhood Colorado Spruce feeling like it has gone home again.
My next post will include a bridge in Brooklyn, and some featured swampland in Florida for those who are stepping up as buyers...
Wow VV, very beautiful pics! Quite a serene setting.